Unafraid to dispense social commentary that ranges from satirical to inflammatory, the Himalayan Project is essence of underground music and the sound of things to come. The Himalayan Project was founded in 1994 by members Rainman and Chee Malabar, while attending high school in San Francisco, CA. The group's name pays homage to their ancestral roots in India and China - The Himalayan Mountain Range straddles the borders of both countries. By 1998, Rainman and Malabar had developed reputations for ripping mics on their respective college campuses (UC Irvine and Penn St.) and decided to finally collaborate on a 4-track demo that featured beats from DJ Cheapshot (who has since produced tracks for artists like Linkin Park and Styles of Beyond). "We had an advantage because unlike most groups, we developed completely different styles because we were on separate coasts, but since we've been boys as long as we have, it all sounds cohesive," Malabar said. In 2001, with both members residing on the East Coast, Himalayan Project began working with Scott Koozner (who recently produced 'Finishline' and 'Copacetic' for Styles of the Mountain Brothers) on their studio-produced debut. The resulting album, The Middle Passage was born with the inspiration of 2001 Nobel Prize winner for literature, V.S. Naipaul and as a homage to their diverse roots in San Francisco, Boston, Philly, India, Southern China and South America. The album has received positive critical reviews from cdbaby.com, altrap.com, The Weekly Dig (Boston, MA), The San Jose Mercury News and urbansmarts.com. This attention has allowed the group to perform for APA cultural festivals like Diaspora Flow (St. Paul, MN), Diasporadics (New York, NY) and Artwallah (Los Angeles, CA) as well as traditional hip-hop venues.